Trademark curves

Architect Zaha Hadid trademark curves to be recognised for the staircase at Middle Eastern Centre in Oxford via Designboom

Simple Knock-off Phone Charging Station

Hi there Remodelaholic fans! Ursula here from Home Made by Carmona, where I’m always get’in my DIY on. Last time I was here I shared how to make a DIY Bookcase Hutch out of a couple old icky bookshelves and some scrap wood (yep I like to use my leftovers up good!).

Today I’m sharing yet another awesome project you can make out of your leftover scraps (I can totally hear my mom in my head saying “waste not want not child”. Clearly I took that to heart). Use up those random bits of 2×4’s lying around your garage by turning it into a Restoration Hardware knock-off phone charging station!! Don’t you love that store? I know I do (even though my wallet begs to differ).

Well this project only takes about 15 minutes (plus a couple drying hours), and a couple bucks at most, so your wallet and your good sense of taste will thank you profusely.

Here is a picture of the original, gorgeous right? It comes in oak and in walnut for $79 . Today I noticed it came down to $29, which still makes my wallet sting. Nope, not when I can have a great knock-off with 15 minutes of effort!

(via)

However, your DIY knock-off version will come in whatever stain or color you love most, and cost you about $2 and some scrap. I chose a mahogany for mine, and I absolutely love it!

The fantastic thing about this knock-off is how amazingly easy it is to execute. Here is what you’ll need:

Materials

• Piece of 2×4 wood
• Wood Stain
• Furniture Glides

Tools

• Saw (table, miter, or jig will do)
• Router
• Drill

Let’s get started!! Be sure to use a scrap 2×4 that is at least a foot long. This is to make sure it is long enough to stay put when you use the router on it. Strat by tracing the base of your phone onto the 2×4.

Next you’re going to whip out your router…if you have a guide, great! If you don’t (which sadly mine was broken), then you might want to practice on some other scrap wood first. You’ll start at one end of the template you marked, and very slowly and precisely make one long pass horizontally, then a second pass. It should only take two careful passes, and if you can, round out the ends ever so slightly.

If your guide is intact, then your cuts should be perfect! If you are going freehanded like me, then you’ll have some minor imperfections, but trust me when I say it won’t be very noticeable once it is stained.

Now you are going to mark the very middle where the charger plug will insert into. Mark it to the same width as your charger end.

You’ll need a drill bit the same thickness as the charger end. Don’t worry, clearly it can’t be the width, just the thickness.

Create a stand by setting the 2×4 atop some wood so you can drill through and through.

Be sure when you drill the hole you it is straight. I may or may not have gone in at an angle and had to work that hole! Haha! Do a second and third hole side by side, then go back and wiggle the bit back and forth while drilling to cause the 2-3 holes to “connect”.

Now you’ll have a place to pull your charger through! Check to make sure the plug in fits nicely…not too snug, you want to be able to pull it through and plug in, but not too loose either. Ok, once tested, remove it, it is time to finish this project up!

Mark where you want to cut for the length you desire your phone charging station to be.

Cut that baby down to size. I’m using my miter saw, but if you have a table saw or jig saw that will work too!

Now she’s ready for a good sanding, and your choice of stain!

Finally seal it with a great wipe-on poly urethane, or a spray on-poly. Once it is completely dry add some furniture glides to the bottom. Place them on the inner middle portions so they do not show, and you’re done!

Well, what did I tell you? A stunner in just 15 minutes of work, and a couple hours of drying time! And how much did you spend? Probably just a couple bucks for furniture glides since everything else is leftovers from other projects…much different from the high price of the original, right?

I hope you loved this easy little project. My pretty little charging station is going to sit on my side table in my newly made over bedroom. I have to say, from the small projects to the more complex ones, this room just puts a smile on my face. From the Gorgeous gallery wall above my bed, to the DIY diamond tufted headboard, to the DIY letter holder, and now my new phone charger… *happy sigh* this bedroom is finally what I’ve always dreamed it would be!

Keep your desk and cords organized with these other DIYs + tips, too:

easy $4 tablet stand

faux decorative metal boxes

quick tricks for stylish organized desk drawers

and of course… the desk itself! Build a mid-century style desk.

The post Simple Knock-off Phone Charging Station appeared first on Remodelaholic.

Air conditioning in our homes: Yes or No?

The average temperature in the build up to any given British summer is enough to turn anyone into a climate change skeptic, but there are certainly days when it can become unbearably hot in the UK. Most of us manage by rushing out to buy a fan, raiding the ice lolly department at our local convenience store or simply using the scientific wonder that is the sash window, but more people are now starting to ask whether they should install air conditioning for their homes. After all, the cooling breeze is something that we have become used to in our cars, in hotels and in shopping centres. So why not extend that to our homes?

Image source: Andrew Dunn

If you have decided that your office fan no longer cuts it in your bedroom on a hot night, or your living room is not well ventilated enough for you to escape the heat, then you may first want to try a single unit air conditioning unit, which is a portable (but heavy) machine that you vent via a window.

This is a good lower cost solution to cooling your home, but obviously it will simply be restricted to the room you and it are in. It also can cause security problems, as you will have to leave a window open as it works. This is fine in the day, but it may be a worry at night, especially if you live or sleep on a ground floor. Good portable units start at around £300, but do check reviews and look out for the BTU rating, which should let you know just how cooling they will be.

If you want something more permanent and secure that spreads throughout the home then you should consult an air conditioning specialist, who will be able to talk you through the process and give you a quote for the job. Installed ‘split’ air conditioning units for your home will cost upwards of £1,000 per room and you can also have a linked multi-unit system that works in a similar way to your central heating, using a thermostat to know when the cooling air should kick in. You should always make sure that you overestimate when you will need the air conditioning to start up, as running units can be very costly.

When an air conditioning tradesperson calls they will want to measure your rooms so that they can establish how big a unit you will need. As a rough guide you should multiply the volume of a room by five to tell you how many BTUs are needed to cool a room. The tradesperson should also be able to offer features such as remote controls for your units and tell you which manufacturer’s models will work best for you. Some have sleep mode, which means that the fans turn more slowly and are quieter. Otherwise you may need earplugs to get a good night’s sleep on a hot night.

One important factor to take into account whether you are deciding whether to buy an air conditioning unit or which one to buy is electricity consumption. The units should have an energy efficiency rating so you can compare units and brands. But do be aware that these are powerful units that will use a lot of energy as they run. Expect a hike in your energy bills, which could even double over the summer months. Nothing will cool your home as well as air conditioning, but you have to weigh up the cost of purchase and installation alongside energy consumption.

If you decide that air conditioning is not for you and you still want to stay cool this summer then you may find that being smart or even acting counter-intuitively may help. A through breeze is always nice, but if you have a house that generally stays cool then you may be best off keeping the doors and windows closed to keep warm air out. Closing curtains will also stop the sun from warming your home at the hottest parts of the day.

The post Air conditioning in our homes: Yes or No? appeared first on Rated People Blog.

Decluttering Things You Love

I‘ve been on a decluttering rampage. Nothing has been safe from my decluttering mission. If there is one thing I have grown more certain of since we have lived here, it’s that I don’t like keeping (or the possibility of moving) random stuff. We downsized tremendously to move into this house (our old house was twice […]

This article Decluttering Things You Love is from The Inspired Room Republishing this article in full or in part is a violation of copyright law. © 2009-2013, all rights reserved.

~thrifty thursday~ {put a fork in it}

I was cleaning out our garden shed and decided we had one too many of the same thing.

So….. I decided to put this old pitchfork to use.

Before, plain old pitchfork:

After: directional sign which can be easily moved or taken down after party:

So, if you are having a get together and need to show where different activities are, get out some scrap wood, or use new, and paint the wording on.

Nail to the pitchfork and stick in the ground.

Easy peasy.

Like I said before, you can use scrap wood, but new works just as well.

You really don't even need to paint the wood first.

You can freehand arrows on each piece, or cut the ends to form a arrow using a saw set to a 45 degree angle.

For the wording I used sticker letters from the office supply store.

I have used these on numerous projects, they are a staple in my craft studio.

Simply stick them on and use a pencil to trace around.

Peel off and fill in with the color paint of your choice.

After it's dry you can rough up the lettering with sandpaper if you wish.

These do not have to be perfect, my kind of project!

I made these for when we have backyard bbq's and get togethers this summer.

When the time comes, I will get it out and stick it in the ground!

xoxo

Meister Parket

In 1930 gestart als kleine timmermanszaak, groeide Meister sindsdien, dankzij expertise, meesterschap en innovatie, uit tot één van de grootste spelers in zijn markt. Het Duitse bedrijf biedt intussen oplossingen voor zowel vloeren, muren als plafonds en doet dit met het grootste respect voor de natuur, bijvoorbeeld door geen gebruik te maken van tropische houtsoorten.

Voor meer info lees verder op www.gebroedersjanssen.be

Six Envy-Inducing Luxury Bathtubs

Everyone has a dream tub. (Except for the oddballs who don’t like to take baths. Honestly, how do you relax?) So we scoured the web to find six of the dreamiest luxury bathtubs that we’d want in our own bathrooms … Continued

The post Six Envy-Inducing Luxury Bathtubs appeared first on QB Blog.